Step through the world's most mind-bending protocol. Alice sends Bob a quantum state using entanglement and just 2 classical bits — no quantum channel needed.
Alice and Bob share an entangled pair created beforehand. This is the "quantum channel."
Alice measures her original qubit + her half of the pair. Gets 2 classical bits.
Alice sends those 2 bits to Bob by any means — phone, email, radio. Light speed.
Bob applies one of 4 possible gates based on the 2 bits. His qubit becomes the original.
| Alice's bits | Bob applies | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| 00 | I (do nothing) | Already correct |
| 01 | X gate (flip) | Flip 0↔1 |
| 10 | Z gate (phase) | Flip phase |
| 11 | ZX (both) | Flip + phase |
You understood the protocol demonstrated over 1,400 km in 2017!
Alice needs 3 qubits total (1 original + 2 from Bell pair) and sends 2 classical bits. Bob needs 1 qubit (his half of Bell pair) and receives 2 bits.
The quantum state doesn't travel — only the 2 classical bits do. Bob can't use his qubit until the bits arrive, preserving the speed of light limit.
Scientists teleported photon states from Earth to the Micius satellite 1,400 km above. It was the first space-to-ground quantum teleportation.
Teleportation is the backbone of the quantum internet — allowing quantum states to be routed across long distances using quantum repeaters.